Neels Gap Resupply
Just to be 100% sure, is the Mountain Crossings/ Walayasi Center on the trail? IF not how far is it from the trail?
Thanks
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You walk right through it. Literally
Fear ridges that are depicted as flat lines on a profile map.
Pack your wallet- those guys (and ladies) are good at what they do.
most hikers spend a ton of money there. don't fall into the trapOriginally Posted by Hot Sauce 2011
Right on the trail, great stop and will do a pack shake down to help you prepare for the rest of your hike. Well stocked with gear and a good assortment of hiker food. Staff are experienced hikers and will assist you but they never pressure you to buy gear you may not need. swamp dawg
Resupplying at Walayasi will be your first "sticker shock" experiance.
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Prices are around 20% higher for hiker food than you'd pay at a normal grocery or Walmart, with some things being extravagantly high (I paid $7 for a small tube of toothpaste). Also they can and do run out of some items during peak hiker season, I arrived on April 4th and they were out of pita bread and tortillas (I bought the $7 toothpaste, a knorr side, a spam pack, and a pack of bagles, and went 2 days more to Helen where they have an expensive small grocery store and a Dollar General (go there first)).
If you are late geting started (i.e.post thru hiker season), they may be cleaned out of key hiker stuff. On a typical weekend in late March through April, they sell an amazing amount of hiker supplies.
I like to send a mail drop there. With the sticker shock you will come out the same price wise, and their selection is boring food for newbie hikers who can't think outside the box.
I'd resupply w/ a mail drop as well. Well equipped gear store. Bring your Gold Card and they could completely outfit you for the trail.
Why did you go all the way to Helen when the trail runs just as close to Hiawassee, which has chain grocery stores (Ingles), Zaxbys, Dairy Queen, laundry & other things closer by? Not criticizing, just curious.
They will def lighten both your load and your wallet. Gear prices seem around the same as other places, but the food is marked up. You're paying for the convenience and that's fine, they have a right to charge what they want, but I 'd try to get the majority of my food supply elsewhere. And as noted, if you get there after a bunch has already come through, there may not be much to choose from.
they do carry top of the line gear, nice stuff!
I remember the first time I walked through. i thought it was one of the coolest places I'd ever been. I remember when the "new" guard rail wasn't there. I was taliking to one of the guys about it not quite 2 years ago. He said some big wig regulation type guy came in and said you have to put up a guard rail to keep people from falling off the wall. Up until then no one had ever fallen off the original wall just the way it was. They put in the new guard rail and within a year somebody goes over. Go figure. Here's your sign.
"Hiking is as close to God as you can get without going to Church." - BobbyJo Sargent aka milkman Sometimes it's nice to take a long walk in THE FOG.
Apparently, they were out of hot water for showers back in April 2010 when I would have paid bigtime for a nice hot shower!
The original question was, is it on the trail? The answer: yes, the building is on the trail, over the trail even. The store part of the building is a taxing 20-foot uphill walk off the trail. It's off to the right in this picture.
mountain+crossings.jpg
For what it's worth, they were very friendly to me at Mountain Crossings. I was already prepared as far as gear, though. Baltimore Jack hooked me up with some complimentary Idahoan instant-tater packets and gravy. A church group fed all the hikers a mountain of pasta and bread that evening. Too much hate going on here.
"Hahk your own hahk." - Ron Haven
"The world is a book, of which those who do not travel read only a page." - St. Augustine
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I mentioned this once and was told I was nit picking, but for some reason the guidebooks have always stated that when you reach Unicoi you can go E 10 miles to Helen (and Hiawassee isn't mentioned even though its W 10 miles). Then you reach Dicks Creek Gap the guidebooks mention Hiawassee.
And you are correct, Hiawassee has it all over Helen as a trail town.
Well, yeah, and its in the middle of the woods at least 10 miles from the nearest town. Sounds fair to me.
A friend was going there and said it was a pretty cool place. Lots of restaraunts, hotels. I enjoyed it (but I'm a weirdo that actually goes to Gatlinburg and has a good time there as well), despite the expense.
2013 The A.T. Guide now lists both Helen (9.0E) and Hiawassee (12.0W) at Unicoi Gap Mile 52.9
Neels Gap does charge to receive a maildrop.....it was $1 last year. Their prices are a "little" higher than 20 percent of average prices......although the attitude is free.
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